Captain Shannon Meehan thought he was protecting his men and only killing the enemy when he ordered an airstrike in the summer of 2007.

But in the ruins, he discovered his mistake and uncovered a tragedy.

His decision that day took the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians and changed Meehan’s life, ultimately leading him to write “Beyond Duty: Life on the Frontline in Iraq,” a book that chronicles this experience and attempts to reconcile what he has done with what he felt he had to do as a soldier.

The book was written with Roger Thompson, a professor of English and fine arts at the Virginia Military Institute, and recounts Meehan’s reality as lieutenant of a tank platoon for the 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army in Iraq.

West Virginia University’s Department of History assigns Meehan’s book as part of its modern military history course, and has invited both authors to discuss the book and the Iraq War on March 22 at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Gold Ballroom.

“Captain Meehan’s story is an especially powerful account of the human experience of war. To many Americans, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are so distant that they register only as background noise in our daily lives, especially given today’s economic climate,” said Joel Christenson, WVU doctoral student and instructor in the Department of History.

“Meehan’s story serves as a reminder that these wars are very much ongoing, that they demand a high human cost, and that thousands and thousands of Americans are sacrificing everything in their pursuit,” he added.

Meehan graduated from Virginia Military Institute with distinction, also having studied at Oxford.

He earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other military honors while serving in Iraq. He was medically retired from the Army in November 2009.

Roger Thompson is an award-winning nonfiction writer that has had both academic and non-academic work published in a variety of journals.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact Joel Christenson at jchrist8@mix.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

lp/03/08/10

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